Security Operations Analyst - Tier 1

Knox Systems, Inc; Arlington, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Shift premium

Certification costs covered

Published salary bands

Equity and benefits

401k and medical benefits

Job summary

Knox Systems, Inc. in Arlington, VA seeks a vigilant security operations professional to join our on-site team serving federal government clients. You will review alerts, determine containment or escalation, and operate within the integrated queue covering performance, availability and security.

The role emphasizes overnight shifts, clear runbooks, and structured handovers. Requirements include CompTIA Security+ or equivalent and hands-on IT/NR ops experience; a willingness to earn certification

Qualifications

• CompTIA Security+ or equivalent certification, or ability to earn it within 90 days of starting.
• Hands-on experience in IT operations, a help desk, a network operations center, or something similar.
• Good judgment about when to elevate, and comfort working on your own if the shift you take is an overnight.

Responsibilities

• Work a full shift on either a weekday or a four-day rotation schedule, and hand over with a written log.
• Review alerts and decide what to do — elevate, contain, or close with your reasoning noted.
• Handle performance and availability issues alongside security ones, out of the same queue.
• Follow our runbooks for containment and call the senior analyst on duty when a runbook runs out.
• Work customer requests and tickets once the higher priorities are clear.
• Leave notes the next shift can pick up without having to call you.

Skills

CompTIA Security+

IT operations experience

Help desk experience

NOC experience

Decision making

Tools

SIEM tools

Job description

About Knox

Knox runs the largest Federal and DoW managed cloud, building and operating secure cloud and AI environments that support the U.S. government’s most critical missions — from national security and public safety to essential public services. Our customers rely on Knox to deploy production systems that meet the highest standards for security, reliability, and compliance.

Work at Knox is high-impact and purpose-driven. The problems we solve are high-stakes, the expectations are high, and the results are visible. Speed, rigor, and trust matter here - because the environments we secure cannot fail. Your contributions are visible, your expertise is relied upon, and the impact of your work is immediate and measurable. We operate at federal scale, securing some of the most sensitive government environments in the country - because the systems we build must perform without fail.

How We Work

Most companies run a security team and a network team separately. We don’t. At Knox one team watches everything — performance, availability and security — out of the same queue. You see the whole picture, and a problem never sits with the wrong team while the clock runs. It is a better way to work and a much faster way to learn.

How We Prioritize

1. Active intrusion or suspected compromise

2. Service-affecting outage

3. Degradation and early warning signs

4. Customer requests and tickets

Higher priorities always come first. You will not be asked to finish a routine ticket while a live alert is open.

What You’ll Do

• Work a full shift on either a weekday or a four-day rotation schedule, and hand over with a written log.
• Review alerts and decide what to do — elevate, contain, or close with your reasoning noted.
• Handle performance and availability issues alongside security ones, out of the same queue.
• Follow our runbooks for containment and call the senior analyst on duty when a runbook runs out.
• Work customer requests and tickets once the higher priorities are clear.
• Leave notes the next shift can pick up without having to call you.

What You’ll Need

• CompTIA Security+ or an equivalent certification, or the ability to earn it within 90 days of starting.
• Hands-on experience in IT operations, a help desk, a network operations center, or something similar.
• Good judgment about when to elevate, and comfort working on your own if the shift you take is an overnight.

What We’ll Teach You

• Cloud security monitoring, SIEM tools, and how to tune detections.
• How FedRAMP controls work in practice, and how we evidence them.
• Incident containment, network troubleshooting, and our runbooks.
• The path to Tier 2, usually around three years.

What We Don’t Require

• A degree.
• Previous corporate experience.
• An active security clearance. If you hold one, or held one, that’s a plus — it is never a requirement.

What We Offer

• Your schedule is fixed and published ahead of time. Shifts do not rotate.
• Three consecutive days off every week on the four-day rotation schedules.
• Certification costs and renewals covered, including the first attempt and a retake.
• Shift premium paid on the hours you actually work in a premium window, at a published rate.
• A published salary band, and a published band for the level above you.
• We are a small team, so what you do is visible. You will make an impact.

Compensation Range: $65k-$95k, variable annual bonus, equity and monthly premium payments.

Hiring Requirement: Due to the nature of our work with federal government clients and compliance with applicable regulations, this position requires U.S. citizenship. Dual citizenship is not permitted for this role. Candidates must be able to provide documentation verifying sole U.S. citizenship status as part of the background check process and ability to pass a government background investigation.

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of all required pre-employment screenings, including a background check, in accordance with applicable laws and government contract requirements.

Benefits & Perks

Knox offers a competitive employee benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability, unlimited PEO, and an employee funded 401k plan. Please note, benefits are subject to change.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Knox is proud to support veteran hiring — we encourage veterans and transitioning service members to apply and welcome the unique skills and experience you bring.